


Michelle Blake Week 2020

by SneetchesToo



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28388463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SneetchesToo/pseuds/SneetchesToo
Summary: Just a collection of my stories from Tumbrl’s Michelle Blake Week 2020Chapter 1: the Ring (mentions to TK/Carlos)Chapter 2: All That Matters (Owen/Michelle)Chapter 3: Walk of Shame (Owen/Michelle)Chapter 4: Please (Owen/Michelle)Chapter 5: Asked and Answered (mentions to Owen/Michelle & Judd/Grace)Chapter 6: MoonshineChapter 7: Tucker James (Owen/Michelle)
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Michelle Blake & Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star), Michelle Blake/Owen Strand
Comments: 30
Kudos: 14





	1. The Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 1: Friends Forever – Michelle and Carlos**
> 
> _Michelle will be damned if Carlos doesn’t let her in on the process of buying TK the perfect ring._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I love these two to no end and I am not okay with the fact that we won’t get more of them next season. I will probably miss their interactions more than anyone else’s.

Michelle knew something was up with Carlos the second he sat down.

She could just tell by the way he wasn’t talking.

The way he was avoiding her gaze.

He was up to something, or into something, and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it.

“I wanna ask TK to marry me.” Or maybe she would really, really like it.

“Oh.” She didn’t know why that was the only word she could get out.

This was a good thing.

A really good thing.

She had been their biggest supporter since day one and she had been waiting with bated breath for the day when Carlos finally got his head out of his ass and asked the man to marry him.

“You don’t think it’s a good idea?” Of course she thought it was a good idea.

She thought it was a great idea.

“It’s a horrible idea isn’t it?” But of course, Carlos was off second guessing himself as always. “He won’t say ‘yes’. God, why would I even think that it was…”

She reached out and grabbed his arm, holding it still as she stared him down.

“Carlos!” He snapped out of his trance and stared back at her. “Stop.”

“Sorry.” He must have known he was losing it because he sighed that sigh of defeat and she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s a wonderful idea.” She hoped that he knew that.

“Really?” Of course really.

They had been together for almost three years.

“It’s about damn time.” She wasn’t going to live forever.

She wanted to at least see her best friend get married and have a few babies before she grew old and decrepit.

“It’s only been three years…” Like that wasn’t enough time.

“Which is more than enough time.” She moved her hand from his arm down to his hand and squeezed. “Especially for two love sick puppies like you guys.”

He rolled his eyes but she didn’t miss the smile that came across his lips.

“You think he’ll say ‘yes’?” She had no questions about that.

“Of course he’ll say ‘yes’.” He’d be crazy if he didn’t and she’d have no problem telling him that. “He loves you Carlos.”

“I know.” He was smiling that shy little smile and the blush that was on his cheeks made Michelle’s heart skip a beat.

She was so glad her best-friend had finally found someone to bring that smile back out.

“Now… let’s talk rings!” She was excited for the proposal, but she was even more excited for the ring.

“I uh…” Oh God, if he said he already had one she was going to lose it.

Wasn’t that part of being a best-friend?

Didn’t she get to help him pick out the perfect ring?

“You better not already have one or I’m unfriending you.” I mean really, it was the least she deserved.

“I have one in mind…” Okay that was better. “I haven’t bought it yet though…”

She was sensing there was more to this.

“Let me guess…” And she was pretty sure what it was. “The little errand you have to run after lunch…”

“I have to go pick it up.” She was so mad at him.

But that could wait.

“So you’ve already put some thought into this then?” Of course he had.

Carlos wasn’t impulsive like her.

No, he liked things planned and thought out and clearly stated and done.

She had always been the flighty one of the pair.

“Yes.” He nodded his head as he smiled. “I was gonna just get the ring and keep it. But last night…”

If he was going to tell her one more story about his sex life with TK she was going to leave.

She didn’t share details of her physical relationship with Owen with him.

He really should return the favor.

“Something happened that made you want to ask?” She couldn’t even imagine what that something could have been.

“Yes.” He smiled brightly at her and she nodded her head.

“Well then, let’s go get that boy of yours his ring.” She pushed herself to stand, grabbing her trash and heading toward the bins.

She noticed that he wasn’t directly behind her and she sighed, turning to face him.

He smiled at her and she returned it.

And then he stood and made his way toward her.

This was going to be good.


	2. All That Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 2: Family First – Michelle and Iris/Theresa**
> 
> _Theresa finds a strange man in her daughter’s house and has a few questions._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I’ve been struggling with writing lately so this isn’t what I wanted, but it’s what I came up with. Hope it doesn’t suck too bad.

“So tell me about this man you’re seeing.” The sound of her mother’s voice broke Michelle from her thoughts and she snapped her head up from the magazine she had been reading.

When the hell had her mother gotten here?

“Excuse me?” And how did she get inside?

“The gentlemen who let me in most certainly wasn’t Carlos.” Oh crap. “And he definitely didn’t look like he was just visiting.”

She started racking her brain trying to remember what Owen had been wearing that morning.

“He’s a friend mama.” She figured that bending the truth was okay this time around.

It’s not like her mom knew any different.

“Just a friend?” The older woman crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed her from the doorway. “Because he wasn’t wearing a shirt and he was cooking in your kitchen like he belonged there.”

Why wasn’t Owen wearing a shirt?

Goddamn that man and his bare chest.

“He’s staying with me while I recover…” Not that she needed someone to watch over her.

She was perfectly fine.

But her doctor had insisted and then Carlos had insisted and when Owen got word, well, he had practically moved himself in and refused to leave.

“Where’s Carlos?” Normally he would be the one taking care of her, but not anymore.

No, now she had Owen.

“Working.” Which was true, she thought.

Or maybe today was his day off.

Either way, he wasn’t here, so what did it matter?

“Uh huh.” Her mom wasn’t buying her crap and she knew it. “Who is he Michelle?”

Time to face the music.

“His name’s Owen. We work together.” She didn’t need to know anymore than that.

“Mixing business and pleasure… that’s so…” She watched as her mom let out a sigh before shaking her head. “No, that sounds exactly like you.”

“In all fairness, we didn’t intend for this happen.” However they had gotten here, it hadn’t been planned.

Unfortunately for both of them tequila had done the talking that night.

And now, here they were, three months later.

And he was apparently cooking her dinner with no shirt on and she was having to explain it all to her mother.

“He isn’t your boss is he?” That was so like her mother, to assume the worst.

“No. He’s the fire captain.” And she was the paramedic captain, making them equals.

Although Owen seemed to follow her lead a lot more than any of the other captains had.

“Interesting…” She didn’t understand how, but whatever worked. “How long have you two been together?”

“A few months.” Michelle much preferred normal questions about their relationship.

She was glad her mom seemed to move on from the awkward ones.

“And you’re happy?” She found herself smiling at the question.

“Very happy.” She had never been this happy in a relationship before.

“Well then I suppose that’s all that matters.” Her mom gave her a smile, a real, genuine smile, and she felt herself smiling back.

It might not have really mattered, but having her mom accept their relationship meant something to her.

Especially since it was probably the first time she’d ever been okay with a man that Michelle was seeing.

“He’s a good man mama.” She didn’t know why she was whispering that line, it’s not like she hadn’t told Owen that a few times.

“He’d better be.” Her mom chuckled as she moved to sit beside her on the bed. “I know where you keep the sharp knives.”

Michelle found herself giggling and she watched as her mom joined her.

This wasn’t how she wanted her to find out, but at least she didn’t seem to bothered by it after all.


	3. Walk of Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 3: Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork – Michelle with Tim/Nancy**
> 
> _Nancy and Tim catch Michelle doing the walk of shame into the firehouse one morning._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I have no idea how to write these two so I hope this works.

Michelle was running late.

Very, very late.

And there was only one person to blame.

And it wasn’t herself.

“I’m going to kill…” She stopped dead in her tracks when she rounded the corner and Tim and Nancy were waiting for her.

She hadn’t expected them to be downstairs.

She hadn’t expected anyone to be downstairs.

Especially given the fact that she was currently doing the walk of shame in the same outfit she had worn to the bar last night.

And she was more than likely sporting a new hickey or two.

“Morning Captain…” Tim raised an eyebrow as his eyes gave her a once over.

“Rough night?” Nancy was holding back a chuckle but her eyes gave her away.

They were on to her.

They had to be.

“Just overslept is all.” Yeah, overslept.

Right through her alarm, and Owen’s, and TK banging on the bedroom door to remind them both that they were going to be late.

Neither of them cared though.

That much was evident by the fact that she had to practical sprint down the stairs and to her car in order to keep Owen from going for another round.

“Riiiight.” Tim’s response was sarcastic and she rolled her eyes as she stopped before them.

“You’re wearing the same clothes you wore to the bar last night.” Only Nancy would notice that, but once Tim caught on, his eyes went wide.

Michelle was going to kill Owen.

“Spent the night with a friend.” She tried to head for the locker room but Tim stepped in front of her, his hands going to his hips like he was some kind of dad.

“Would that friend have a name?” Oh so they were going to interrogate her now?

What was she, sixteen?

“Yes.” But she wasn’t going to give it away.

“Would that friend’s name happen to be Captain Strand?” She was shocked when the question left Nancy’s mouth.

“How…?” Not that she wanted to know what gave them away.

“Because he’s also currently… late.” Okay, that was a good point.

“Coincidence?” But it could also just be a coincidence.

“We saw you two leave together last night…” There’s no way!

They were careful.

Always careful.

“He walked me to my car. Is that a crime?” So maybe they had been seen together outside the bar, but Owen was a polite guy, and he would totally be the kind of guy to walk her to her car after a night out.

“No. But the way he was grabbing your ass should be.” Oh for Christ’s sake, they saw that.

“I…” She didn’t know what to say so she just gave up, her shoulders slumping as she sighed.

“Everything okay here Captain Blake?” The sound of Owen’s voice from behind her caused her to turn around, her eyes catching sight of him.

He was dressed in clean clothes, his hair styled just perfectly, his shades on and a small smirk on his face.

He must have known what was going on.

“Everything’s fine.” She hissed out before turning back toward her crew mates. “Just explaining to these two that I spent the night with a friend. They seem to think I was out with a guy.”

“Ah.” He nodded his head as he walked past them. “Don’t pick on her too much you two. From the looks of it, she had a long night.”

She didn’t miss the wink he gave her as he removed his shades and then headed up the stairs.

Oh he was such a dead man.

Tim and Nancy both gave her a look that told her it wasn’t worth trying to defend herself.

She had been busted and she knew it.

“I’m gonna go shower.” She shoved past them and toward the locker room, not missing the sounds of their laughter as she stepped inside the small space.

Sometimes she felt like she worked with a bunch of children.


	4. Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 4: What’s Said Between Captains – Michelle and Owen**
> 
> _Owen has a question he wants to ask Michelle._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Y’all should know by now that I can’t resist these two and that I just love them so much. So, here’s some fluffiness for you guys!

“You once told me that what’s said between Captains stays between Captains.” Michelle whispered her sentence into the darkness of the room, waiting to see if her companion would respond.

“Hm.” The soft hum she got from the other side of the bed indicated he was at least awake.

Whether he was conscious enough to carry on a conversation was a different story.

“Is that still true?” She turned to face him and watched as he reached up and scrubbed at his face before sighing.

“Well technically you’re not a Captain anymore so…” Like she needed to be reminded of that.

Not that she regretted giving up her position, but somedays, well somedays she missed the excitement and the drama.

Somedays she missed just being around adults who spoke in full sentences.

Not toddlers who demanded apple juice and Cheetos all day long.

“So then what’s said between us doesn’t stay between us anymore?” He let out a sigh and she got it, she was being difficult, it was something she was good at.

“I didn’t say that.” He pushed himself into a sitting position, leaning over and turning on the light. “What’s said between husband and wife is also kept between husband and wife.”

“We’re not married…” Had he really forgotten that part.

“All the more reason for you to say ‘yes’…” She rolled her eyes at his comment.

He was never going to stop asking was he?

“Are you listening to me or not?” She really just wanted to get this out in the open.

Keeping it a secret was killing her.

“I’m always listening to you Michelle, you know that.” And she did know that, whether she always acted like it or not was another question.

“I’m pregnant.” There, she said it.

She got it out in the open.

And while it felt good to get it off her chest, it was scary having those two words just hanging between them like that.

“For real?” He didn’t look upset or angry or even confused.

In fact, he almost looked, happy.

“Yeah.” She had been shocked at first, and a little sad, but she had gotten over it.

She had never expected that she’d ever have kids of her own.

And yet, here she was, with an adopted pre-teen and twin two year olds, and now, another one on the way.

Some people might think they were crazy, but she’d take their crazy over other people’s normal any day.

Owen reached out then, tugging her toward him as he leaned down and kissed her softly.

“Best damn news I’ve heard all week.” She was glad for that, especially when she was expecting him to be mad.

They had agreed to no more kids after the twins had been born.

But then again, it wasn’t like either one of them was really doing anything to prevent it.

“Really?” She pulled back and offered him a pensive look.

She wanted this to be a good thing.

She needed this to be a good thing.

“Really.” He leaned in and kissed her softly once more. “Does this mean you’ll finally make me an honest man?”

“Is that really how you’re gonna ask a pregnant woman to marry you?” He could do better than that couldn’t he?

“Michelle…” He reached out and brushed her hair back as he offered her a sideways smile. “Will you marry me? Please?”

The ‘please’ was a little much, but the puppy dog eyes were all she needed to see.

“What’s said between Captains, stays between Captains?” She wanted to make sure he meant this, that this was for real.

“Always.” Not that she should really have any doubts.

Not now, not after five years and two kids.

“Yes Captain Strand,” She leaned in and kissed him softly, “I’ll marry you.”


	5. Asked and Answered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 5: Night Out – Girls Night Out or Team Night Out**
> 
> _Grace and Michelle have lots of gossip to catch up on._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I don’t know what this is.

“I’m so glad we finally made time to do this.” Grace echoed Michelle’s thoughts exactly.

“Amen to that.” Both women had been so busy lately that they hadn’t had a chance to catch up.

And boy did they have a lot to catch up on.

“So… how are… things?” Michelle knew instantly what Grace was referring to but she wondered how long she could play dumb.

“Things are… fine…” She wasn’t sure what Grace knew or didn’t know, so she wasn’t going to give too much away.

“Really…” Grace raised an eyebrow at her as she smirked over the rim of her wine glass. “Just… fine?”

“Yes Grace, things are fine.” She smirked back at her as she held her composure.

“Oh come on Michelle, I’m dying here.” Grace growled out, causing Michelle to laugh.

She knew that the other woman wanted her to just come right out and say it.

“Fine Grace,” She set her beer bottle down as she smiled, “Owen is fine.”

“Oh thank God.” The breath of relief that she let out made Michelle chuckle. “I was starting to worry.”

“Worry? Why?” She didn’t understand what the big deal was.

“You two have been awfully quiet lately…” It’s not like they made a lot of noise before, did they?

“Quiet?” Michelle was confused.

“You two were awfully hot and heavy for a while there.” They were not! “Then things seemed to… fizzle out.”

“Oh hush Grace, they did not.” She and Owen were doing just fine.

“Look, I get it, relationships are hard.” Michelle shook her head as she grabbed her beer and took a swig. “Things get… stale…”

“Things are most definitely not stale!” She couldn’t believe she was saying that out loud, but she had to defend hers and Owen’s relationship.

“Well alright then.” Grace chuckled as she winked at Michelle. “That’s good to know I guess.”

Michelle sighed as she leaned back on the couch.

“Why, are things… stale for you and Judd?” Not that she wanted to know.

“Oh hell no!” Grace seemed a little embarrassed but Michelle didn’t care.

This friendship went both ways.

If she could inquire about her sex life, than she could inquire about hers.

“That’s good to know.” She was glad to hear that, nobody wanted a stale sex life.

“So Owen, is he, ya know…?” Oh lord, she was going there wasn’t she?

“He’s a wonderful man.” She knew that wasn’t what Grace meant, but she could play along a little while longer.

“You damn well know I don’t wanna know about that.” Grace gave her a look and she couldn’t help but chuckle.

Everyone was all of a sudden very curious about her sex life now that she was seeing Owen.

She couldn’t imagine why.

“Then what do you want to know?” She didn’t have a problem answering questions, but the least the other woman could do was admit that she wanted to know how he was in bed.

“How’s the sex Michelle?” There it was, just all out there in the open. “I’m dying here. I think every woman within a twenty mile radius is dying. Is it as good as I think is?”

“Let’s just say that I’ve never been more satisfied…” If that didn’t give it away she didn’t know what would.

Grace busted out laughing as a blush covered her cheeks.

“Well thank God for that huh?” Michelle joined her in laughing, her cheeks flushing red at the simple thought.

She couldn’t believe she had just said that out loud.

But Grace had asked.

The least she could do was answer.


	6. Moonshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 6: Michelle Begins – Pre-Season 1 Michelle**
> 
> _Michelle is up to no good._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *For this story’s sake the age difference between these guys is only 2-3 years. I’m sure it’s probably more on the show, but I wanted them all to be trouble makers together.

“Come on ‘Chelle, you can’t be serious right now.” Michelle rolled her eyes at Carlos’ comment as she kicked her foot against the muddy driveway.

“Your daddy’s gonna kill ya.” Not that she didn’t doubt Judd’s words, but her father could only be mad if he caught on.

“Well then how about we make sure that he doesn’t find out.” Iris hissed from her spot beside her and she heard Carlos and Judd both let out a groan.

“You get us arrested, I’m blaming you in a heart beat.” Her best-friend was a real peach wasn’t he?

“We’re not gonna get arrested.” She whispered back, watching as the car pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. “We give them five minutes to make sure they’re gone and then we go in.”

“We can’t break into their house ‘Chelle, that’s against the law.” Judd was beginning to sound like a real party pooper and she hated it.

“We’re not breaking in.” Iris held up the golden key she had had hanging around her neck for the past two weeks. “I have a key.”

“Where did you get that?” Grace had been unusually quiet during this whole endeavor, but now, well now she was ready to make a scene.

“I watched their dogs for them a few weeks ago.” The younger girl shrugged and Michelle smiled at her nonchalant attitude about the whole thing. “They never asked for it back.”

“We’re going to go to jail.” Michelle shot Carlos a look as she rolled her eyes.

“Only if we get caught.” She was really tired of them all trying to knock on her plan.

They had all been okay with it earlier that day.

She guessed that maybe they didn’t think she’d go through with it.

“Come on,” Iris stood up from her place in the bushes and started making her way down the drive, “in and out, the quicker, the better.”

“You know there are easier ways to get alcohol.” Judd was one to talk, trying to steal whiskey out of his brother’s dresser hadn’t worked out too well for him the last time.

Hell, he still had the scar on his arm to prove it.

“Really? How?” It’s not that they needed the liquor, no, they’d be just fine without it.

But Michelle happened to know that the Betz’s had quite the surplus of some of the finest moonshine in Travis County, much less in all of Texas.

They also were old and senile and most certainly wouldn’t notice a few bottles were missing.

“Look, they won’t notice anything is gone, I promise.” Besides, Iris had had a few days to stake out the place and take inventory.

And if Iris was good at anything, it was remembering just how much of something someone had and just how much she could steal without it being noticeable.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Well of course Carlos didn’t think it was a good idea, he was the most upstanding citizen of them all. “If I get in trouble, I’ll never be able to try out for the police academy’s summer program.”

“Oh would you shut up about that already?” Judd was awfully hostile tonight wasn’t he. “Why you gotta go and be a cop huh? What’s wrong with being a firefighter?”

“I don’t like fire…” Carlos shrugged and Iris and Grace couldn’t help but chuckle, causing Michelle to roll her eyes.

“If you guys don’t stop bickering and start walking I’m gonna leave you all here and keep the liquor for myself.” She had no problem with that arrangement either, she could find plenty of uses for it.

She heard a series of groans from behind her but then everyone picked up the pace and followed her lead.

They were in the house, the giant liquor cabinet staring back at them, in no time, and Michelle felt an odd sense of accomplishment.

They grabbed a few bottles each and then made their way out the back door, sneaking back through the woods and toward the barn at the tail end of the Reyes’ property.

After making themselves comfortable in the loft Michelle had been the first one to take a long swig of the unlabeled bottle she had grabbed, letting the burn coat her throat as she leaned back against the hay.

“Why did we really do all this ‘Chelle?” Judd was giving her that ‘big brother’ look and she knew he meant business.

There was no lying to get her ass out of this one.

Not with her friends at least.

“I didn’t get into Texas State.” The four pairs of eyes that stared back at her were full of emotions that she couldn’t label.

Sure, they probably felt sorry for her.

But she doubted that any of them were really that surprised.

“Michelle…” She held up a hand as Grace offered what was sure to be sympathetic words.

“It’s fine.” In reality, it wasn’t fine.

She was going to be graduating high school in less than two months and now she had no idea what she was going to do with her life.

“So we stole liquor because you couldn’t get into college?” Iris wasn’t always the brightest one of them now was she?

“I think Michelle stole the liquor because she’s feeling some kinda way.” Judd was right about one thing, she was feeling some kind of way.

“So what now?” Carlos had been the one to reassure her a thousand times that she was going to get in.

That they wouldn’t look at her long list of reprimands and suspensions, that her grades would speak for themselves.

Carlos had been wrong.

“I don’t know, junior college I guess.” She shrugged as she took another swig, her eyes closing as she tried to not get emotional.

Her daddy had always warned her that all those fights would finally come back to bite her in the ass.

She hated it when her daddy was right.

“What about becoming a paramedic?” She snapped her eyes open and turned to Grace. “I mean, you can always try again in a few years right? Maybe getting your foot in the door to medicine is a start.”

She shook her head back and forth.

She really didn’t want to be a paramedic.

“It’s a good idea ‘Chelle.” Judd thought that anything that Grace said was a good idea, this didn’t appear to be any different.

“I’m sure I’ll think of something.” She sighed as she closed her eyes again, letting the sounds of her friends talking quietly amongst themselves fade out as she started to doze.

She needed to think of something soon though.

Summer was almost here and her parents were going to be moving her out, whether she liked it or not


	7. Tucker James

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 7: Free Choice – Seventeen years after Michelle’s dad died she finally pays him a visit.**
> 
> _Michelle has two very special men that she wants to introduce to her father._

Michelle still couldn’t believe that Owen had convinced her to come here.

She hadn’t been here since the first year after the funeral.

She hadn’t been able to bear it.

Knowing that she was walking around with such an important part of her life suddenly missing.

Her father had been the only person who had ever gotten her.

The only person who had ever had her side and stood up for her.

He had been her best-friend and his death had devastated her.

Sure her mom had been upset, losing her husband of twenty-five years hadn’t been easy on her.

But she had bounced back much quicker than Michelle thought was appropriate.

And then there had been Iris.

She had only been fifteen when he had died and while she hadn’t started showing too many signs of the schizophrenia, her aloofness to the man’s death should have been a clear warning sign that something was going on with her.

“You okay?” Owen’s voice broke her from her thoughts and she sighed as she nodded her head.

“Yeah, it’s just…” She turned her head to look out the passenger side window, her eyes catching sight of the Mountain Laurel tree under which her father was buried. “I haven’t been here in a while.”

“I know.” He reached across the space between them and squeezed her hand. “That’s why I think you should do this.”

She nodded her head again before undoing her seat belt and opening the door.

She took a deep breath as she stepped down onto the pavement, her eyes closing for a moment as she tried to gather the strength to walk across the small road and into the grass.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Suddenly Owen appeared beside her and she turned to look at him with a smile.

“If you don’t, he’ll likely strike you down with lightning.” Owen returned her smile as he reached down and once again entwined their fingers.

She reached behind her and grabbed the bag of flowers off the floor board of the Jeep and then shut the door with one last deep breath.

She could do this.

She had to do this.

It was only right.

She lead Owen through the rows of headstones, her eyes focused straight ahead on her destination.

She couldn’t believe that she still remembered exactly where to go, even after all this time.

Stopping in front of the marble marker that she was looking for she let out a soft sigh.

_William Tucker Blake  
_ _Born - July 1, 1955_  
_Death – June 27, 2005  
_ _Loving husband, father, and brother._

“Hi daddy.” She whispered the sentiment as she knelt down in front of the headstone, her eyes watering at the simple fact that she was ‘speaking’ to him again. “I’ve missed you.”

She felt Owen squeeze her shoulder as he stood in place behind her and she swallowed down the lump in her throat.

This was a lot harder than she had expected.

Owen must have sensed her uneasiness because he squeezed her shoulder once more before whispering ‘take your time’, and then she felt him stepping back a bit, giving her a little space.

She was thankful for it, but she also missed him being right behind her.

“I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve been here.” She hated herself for not having come to see him before this, but her heart had never been strong enough.

But now, now it definitely was.

And she had important business to take care of too.

“I wanted to let you know that I’m doing okay.” She blinked back her tears as she removed the bouquet of flowers from the bag and placed them on the ground by his name. “Things are going really well and I’m happy, I’m actually happy daddy.”

She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and bowed her head for a few minutes.

She had a silent conversation in her head with the man before she pushed herself to stand up, reaching behind her for Owen.

She knew he was still there without even having to look.

He was good for her that way.

“Daddy, I wanted to introduce you to someone.” She turned to Owen and smiled, taking the small bundle out of his arms and turning back toward the stone. “This is your grandson, Tucker James.”

She couldn’t help the smile that came over her face as she looked down at the baby boy in her arms.

He was her little miracle and she just wished that her father could be here to meet his namesake.

“He’s only a few weeks old, but I didn’t want to wait any longer to introduce you to him.” She watched as the baby in her arms made what looked like a smile and she watched as Owen stepped forward. “And this, is his father, Owen. We’re getting married daddy. This summer.”

Owen leaned in and kissed her head as Tucker made a cooing sound and she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks once more.

“I wish you could be there to give me away.” Instead she had asked Judd to do the honors, and after the man had stopped crying, he had finally agreed. “Judd’s gonna do it though. Can you imagine that? Judson Ryder all dressed up, giving your little girl away?”

The chuckle that left Owen made her smile and she knew that her daddy was probably laughing his ass off.

He had always had a soft spot for Judd, and only Judd.

The other Ryder boys were trouble in his eyes.

Little did he know…

“I love you daddy.” She closed her eyes once more as she snuggled her baby boy close, relishing in his ‘newborn’ smell. “We all do.”

Owen wrapped an arm around her and held her close, pressing another kiss to her head before she finally straightened herself up.

And then she said a silent ‘goodbye’ and another ‘I love you’ before turning back toward the road.

They walked to the car quietly, Tucker slowly nodding off in her arms and she couldn’t help but smile as they stopped beside Owen’s Jeep.

“Thank you for bringing me here today.” She looked up at her soon to be husband and he smiled back at her. “It means a lot.”

“Anything for you.” He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before opening her door for her and reaching out for the sleeping baby.

She handed Tucker over with a kiss and climbed into her seat, letting Owen buckle the infant into his seat before climbing in beside her.

He reached over and squeezed her hand and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Bye daddy.” She whispered softly, her eyes filling with tears once more as a ray of sunshine peaked through the clouds, illuminating the space around the man’s grave.

She knew it might sound crazy, but she knew it was a dad up there, saying goodbye to her and his future son-in-law.

Oh, and his grandson too.

**Author's Note:**

> **Comments please**


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